Development Officer

About Hopeworks

Hopeworks is a social enterprise that uses technology, healing, and entrepreneurship to transform lives; on average, over 99% of young adults (aged 17-26) entering Hopeworks are unemployed, making less than $400 annually. Young adults completing the Hopeworks program make, on average, over $43,000 annually, with an almost 90% 12-month retention rate in their jobs. That is the Hopeworks difference.

Our unique trauma-informed approach, combined with high-demand, high-wage technical training and paid work experience in Web Design and GIS helps young people not only get the job, but keep it, transforming their lives and the lives of their families.

Position & Responsibilities

The Development Officer is a new position that will be central in defining and executing a strategy to grow the major gift and mid-level revenue streams and build a strong pipeline of future major individual donors.

The Development Officer will report to the Senior Director of Development. If you are looking to join a motivated team that prioritizes donor engagement and data-informed stewardship, this role is for you.

Duties and Responsibilities

The primary task of the development office is to build and steward a portfolio of donors and supporters who can advance Hopeworks mission to transform lives.

Portfolio & Relationship Management (40%)

• Develop and manage a portfolio of ~100 donors and prospective donors, in collaboration with colleagues across the department and the organization.
• Develop and implement personalized cultivation and stewardship strategies for the segment of donors in your portfolio, including regular meetings, communication, events, and other engagement activities throughout the year.
• Write and submit proposals, reports, and other required written materials for donors in your portfolio.
• Maintain, evaluate, and iterate on Hopeworks major donor prospecting model to identify donors from the mid-level giving portfolio who have the potential for growth and teeing them up for deeper, more customized engagement.
• Work collaboratively with the Senior Director of Development and CEO to engage board and staff members in the identification of new prospects, as well as the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of others.
• In collaboration with the Senior Director of Development, work with capital campaign consultants and oversee the committee to support expansion initiatives.

Prospecting and Cultivation (30%)

• Support major gifts prospecting work in collaboration with the internal team, committees, and our external consultants to identify, research, qualify, and help Hopeworks’ leadership build relationships with new major gift donors and current donors who have capacity to upgrade their gifts.
• Identify potential new major and mid-level gift prospects by monitoring giving reports and other data sources
• Create relationship maps for senior leaders, board members, and champions to identify prospect connections.
• Plan and execute cultivation, fundraising, and stewardship events to keep donors and prospects engaged.

Donor Communications & Stewardship (20%)

• Support the development and implementation of a donor communications strategy, including identifying engagement opportunities and drafting donor outreach.
• Create major donor collateral in collaboration with Penji (e.g., pitch decks, and one-pagers).
• Prepare materials for meetings with current donors or prospects.

Other Development Team Responsibilities (10%)

• Serve as the subject matter expert for our prospecting tool, WealthEngine, and its integration into Salesforce.
• Build measurement systems to 1) track donors and prospective donors through the pipeline, 2) the efficacy of fundraising tactics and messages, and 3) portfolio performance.
• Prioritize knowledge management, ensuring all major donor data is properly stored and maintained in Salesforce.
• Help in other cross-team development efforts.
• Additional duties may be assigned as needed.

Requirements

• At least 2 years of major gifts experience with a demonstrated track record of building relationships and closing four to six-figure gifts.
• Demonstrated ability to be strategic, self-directed and proactive in engaging new major gift prospects and moving major donors up in giving levels year-over-year in order to grow revenue, with the ability to quickly and easily adapt to changing organizational needs.
• Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills. Ability to deliver compelling call-to-action cases to internal and external stakeholders at a variety of levels.
• Strong analytical and prospect research skills.
• Understand social nuances, practices, and world views of people of various backgrounds, identities, and cultures. Leverages that understanding to effectively interact with people of diverse communities.
• Experience using Google Suite, Salesforce.org, Mailchimp, WealthEngine, ClickUp, and/or similar technical systems preferred.
• Occasional travel to other Hopeworks sites, events, and meetings with donors as needed and required.
• Attendance and support for donor events and meetings may require work outside of normal business hours.

At essence, the perfect candidate:

• Has a passion for and a strong understanding of the mission of Hopeworks.
• Is a highly-motivated self-starter.
• Has a proven track record for translating organizational priorities into compelling donor proposals and conversations.
• Is a fearless solicitor and a dedicated team player.
• Is driven to build new fundraising programs and likes new challenges.

To apply, qualified candidates must submit the following materials (through additional documents):

• Resume
• Cover letter detailing: Your interest in this position and a compelling case about why the Hopeworks mission resonates with you.

Primary Benefits: 

Paid Health, Vision, and Dental (100% employee covered), 401k retirement plan options, and generous PTO.

This is an onsite position in Camden, NJ with the flexibility to transition to hybrid after 90 days.

Key Performance Measures:

• Total dollars raised
• # of major donors
• # of meaningful visits
• # of asks
• # of gifts secured
• # of new prospects identified